Real Madrid Baloncesto had to battle until the final minute to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. 106-101 at home in Round 24. By doing so, Real earned the right to keep fighting for Turkish Airlines EuroLeague glory after the regular season. 


Real Madrid Baloncesto secures post-season spot with win 

Real Madrid had to battle until the final minute [to beat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 106-101](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-real-madrid-baloncesto-vs-maccabi-tel-aviv-bc/) at home in Round 24. By doing so, *Los Blancos* clinched a postseason berth.

The victory means Real has secured a top 10 finish at the end of the regular season, meaning that it has already qualified for the new Play-In Showdown. Real leads the standings with a 21-3 record, is five victories ahead of second place, and it looks to be only like a matter of time before it secures a playoff spot with a top-six finish, and the home-court advantage in the playoffs with a top-four finish.

Real's main strength has been protecting its home court. *Los Blancos* are 12-0 at home this season and have not lost a EuroLeague game at home since last season's playoff series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. This time, it had to fight harder than expected. Even though Maccabi did not lead in the entire game, it managed to get within striking distance several times.

Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown brought Maccabi within 100-98 with a little more than a minute left. When Mario Hezonja missed at the other end, Vincent Poirier fixed it with a put-back slam, then Dzanan Musa made a pair of free throws for a 104-98 score with 24.6 seconds left. Baldwin buried a big three-pointer but Hezonja sealed the outcome from the foul line.

Vincent Poirier of Real Madrid had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Real Madrid to a 106-101 home victory over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

Poirier has double-double against Maccabi

"We have help from our fans. We feel comfortable at home. We're comfortable sleeping in our beds before the game. I think that is the most important thing, to protect our home court," Musa said after the game. "That's one of the reasons why we are first in the EuroLeague, but we have to continue doing this job."

Musa finished the game with 19 points on 4-of-4 two-point shooting and 11-of-12 on free throws. Poirier stepped up again in Edy Tavares's absence with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. The duo combined for a PIR of 54.

"We fought until the end. It was a tough game, they came back but we stayed strong. We played at home, so that's what we need to do all season long," Poirier said. "We need to be aggressive. We play at home and need to play defense and do it aggressively, control the rebound and then we just need to run. When we run, we play great. That's the mentality we need to have in each game."

Game Videos

Asked about Tavares, Poirier agreed with everyone else: he is definitely missed.

"I miss Edy! Edy changes the games every time he is on the court. We know it is way much harder for the opposite team, but I try to do my best and hopefully, he is coming back soon."

Added to its strength at home, Real is also the only team with a positive record on the road: 9-3. In other words, *Los Blancos* are completing a near-perfect regular season and by mathematically making it to the Play-In Showdown, have taken another step to the ultimate goal: getting to the Final Four for a chance to win its 12th EuroLeague title.

Game News

Real Madrid secured post-season spot with win 

Real Madrid v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2024-01-30T19:30:00.000Z)

Real Madrid Baloncesto beat Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. 106-101 in Round 24 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Real Madrid Baloncesto outguns Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C., 106-101

<incrowd-live-blog id="65b7d4c4537d4cee3d35f0d5" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Vincent Poirier of Real Madrid has possession against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Round 24 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Offense was the order of the day in a thrilling contest at WiZink Center.

Real Madrid outguns Maccabi, 106-101

Fenerbahce overcame early rebounding trouble to overcome ASVEL

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne came out with plenty of determination to gain its first victory in the new LDLC Arena as Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul rolled into town on Tuesday night, and for the opening 20 minutes an upset home win looked on the cards.

ASVEL initially dominated through an incredible first quarter of rebounding, taking no less than 10 offensive rebounds including 5 for giant center Youssoupha Fall. His contribution helped make the overall rebounding count 18-6 with 10 minutes played, giving the host reason to believe.

Perhaps boosted by the physical dominance being enjoyed by his team, Mike Scott came off the bench to enjoy an incredible scoring spree which took him to 21 points before halftime. Scott netted 4 baskets in just 103 seconds to give his team a double-digit lead. 

But Fenerbahce started to turn things around shortly before the interval with the one-two inside-outside punch of Johnathan Motley – scoring close to the basket – and Scottie Wilbekin – netting from deep.

Those two players accounted for 6 points apiece in a 0-12 run either side of the halftime break which got Fenerbahce back into the lead for good, totally changing the momentum of the game and sucking the energy of a short-handed ASVEL which was playing without key players Nando De Colo, Joffrey Lauvergne and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.

Fener did a much better job of protecting its backboard as the game went, only allowing ASVEL to claim 6 offensive rebounds in the second half compared to 14 in the first, and leading scorer Motley believed that was a big part of the turnaround.

“We gave up a lot of offensive rebounds in the beginning, so we tried to do a good job with that \[later on\]," Motley said. "We only gave up 14 points in the third quarter, making sure they didn’t get offensive rebounds. I think we did a good job stopping their first offenses for the most part, but if you give a team multiple opportunities, we’re all pro basketball players, we're going to convert them. So we did a good job with that in the second half.”

One of the reasons for that improvement was former ASVEL player Amine Noua, who gave a strong performance in just his second appearance for Fenerbahce with 9 points and a team-high 7 rebounds, plus 2 blocks in an energetic 32 minutes which suggested he will be a valuable addition to the team during his time in Istanbul.

Coach Saras's side took charge with a 14-28 third quarter. 

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-01-30T19:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Basketball defeated Saski Baskonia 112-109 in overtime in Round 24 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

FC Bayern Basketball survives OT thriller, edges Saski Baskonia 112-109

<incrowd-live-blog id="65b7d31def88d4f7d3c7bea0" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Sylvain Francisco of FC Bayern Munich looks to score against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 24 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

In an offensive shootout, the German side did enough in the extra period to secure the win.

Bayern survives OT thriller, edges Baskonia 112-109

FC Bayern Munich v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-01-30T19:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahçe Beko stepped up late to beat LDLC ASVEL 73-83 in Round 24 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Fenerbahçe Beko rallies for victory at LDLC ASVEL, 73-83

<incrowd-live-blog id="65b7d38a537d4cee3d35f0cd" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Marko Guduric of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is guarded by Paris Lee of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 24 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Johnathan Motley had another strong night for Saras Jasikevicius's side.

Fenerbahce rallies for victory at ASVEL, 73-83

Olympiacos B.C. beat ALBA Berlin 100-87 in Round 24 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Olympiacos B.C. powers past ALBA Berlin, 101-87

<incrowd-live-blog id="65b7d45d2401f9f0d5972843" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Moses Wright of Olympiacos Piraeus has possession against ALBA Berlin in Round 24 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Isaiah Canaan was on fire for the Reds as they went to another gear in the second half.

Olympiacos powers past ALBA, 101-87

Olympiacos Piraeus v ALBA Berlin (2024-01-30T19:15:00.000Z)

KK Crvena zvezda beat Valencia Basket 82-64 at Stark Arena in Round 24 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

KK Crvena zvezda coasts past Valencia Basket, 82-64

<incrowd-live-blog id="65b7d3ef537d4cee3d35f0d1" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Javonte Smart of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade has possession against Valencia Basket in Round 24 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

A red-hot Nemanja Nedovic proved key in his team grabbing a vital win in the playoff race.

Crvena Zvezda coasts past Valencia, 82-64

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Valencia Basket (2024-01-30T19:00:00.000Z)

Check out some bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Rounds 24 and 25 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bold predictions for Rounds 24 and 25

### Rolling the dice on Baskonia winning both

#### *by Frank Lawlor*

Just [two EuroLeague teams have positive road records](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/standings/), Real Madrid (9-3) and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (6-5), whose head coach Dusko Ivanovic has made a career of winning away from home. Now's the time for Baskonia (12-11) to make good on that tradition in Round 24 at FC Bayern Munich and take its momentum home against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv to sweep the next-to-last double round of the season. Baskonia's previous road win came in mid-December, but up-and-down Bayern is a good target to reclaim that knack. If that happens, I expect Baskonia to gain confidence to face dangerous Maccabi even though it's likely to arrive home later than the visitors make it there from Madrid. Baskonia will have to overcome Serge Ibaka in Munich and cool off Wade Baldwin of Maccabi to make a move in the standings, but with some much-needed poise early in those games, I have a hunch that Baskonia will win both.

### Valencia will overcome missing centers

#### *by Javier Gancedo*

Valencia Basket has started its double-week road trip without centers. [Brandon Davies](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/brandon-davies/007870/) and [Boubacar Toure](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/boubacar-toure/012739/) have stayed at home, but even so, I believe Valencia will take a significant step forward this week, getting as many as two road wins. Valencia has the depth and physicality to stay competitive without Davies and Toure. [Nate Reuvers](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nathan-reuvers/012738/) has a golden opportunity to prove himself as a great three-point shooter, rebounder and shot blocker. [Jaime Pradilla](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jaime-pradilla/010393/) and [Damien Inglis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/damien-inglis/003960/) should see extended playing time at the 'five' position, with [Victor Claver](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/victor-claver/000556/) and [Semi Ojeleye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/semi-ojeleye/011982/) ready to help at power forward. Having two physical small forwards like Ojeleye and [Justin Anderson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/justin-anderson/012795/) definitely helps Valencia avoid getting heavily outrebounded. Valencia has enough backcourt talent to give any team trouble, and after a big road win against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, head coach Alex Mumbru's team should keep its momentum going against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and ALBA Berlin.

Semi Ojeleye and Justin Anderson arrived to Valencia Basket this season, adding power and versatility.

Ojeleye, Anderson give Valencia physicality

### Olympiacos is about to get Reds hot

#### *by Frankie Sachs*

If you don't like Olympiacos Piraeus, now is the time to take a screenshot of the standings. Because the Reds are about to get Red hot! They enter the week as part of the logjam of four teams tied between eighth and 11th place. Three of their next four games are against teams in the bottom quarter of the standings. By the end of that stretch, they could have both of their dominant centers, [Moustapha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/) and [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/), back in uniform. [Filip Petrusev](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/filip-petrusev/011194/) is also absent for Round 24, so [Luke Sikma](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/luke-sikma/006589/) will get a chance to prove himself with a larger role. New signing [Moses Wright](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/moses-wright/012878/) has a good opportunity to introduce himself to the EuroLeague, too. That duo should be strong enough to handle the challenges that ALBA Berlin and FC Bayern Munich put forth this week. And those wins will be just the start of the Reds' march up the standings.

### Evans will average 25-plus points this week

#### *by Igor Petrinovic*

In case you have not noticed, [Keenan Evans](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/keenan-evans/011218/) has gotten hot lately. The Zalgiris Kaunas point guard has scored more than 20 points in four of his last five games, with the outlier being a loss in Barcelona when he played just 24 minutes. In each of the other four games, Evans played at least 27 minutes. Only Baskonia's [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) has averaged better than his 21.0 points and made more than Evans's 19 triples over the last five games. What's interesting is that four of those five games have been on the road, including his 25-point performance against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade last week. I believe that Evans will keep it up, and even turn it up a notch in this double-round week. Zalgiris first plays host to Anadolu Efes Istanbul and then welcomes Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to Zalgirio Arena. If Zalgiris wants to stay in the playoff hunt, it needs to win both games. In front of two sold-out crowds, Evans will play a lot of minutes, and I believe he will continue to score a lot.

Keenan Evans Top Plays from 07/31/2023 to 01/30/2024

Keenan Evans top plays in the 2023-24 season

### Milan to pick up momentum in the double-round week

#### *by Geoff Gillingham*

Fresh off a 74-70 win against FC Barcelona, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan faces back-to-back road challenges at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Anadolu Efes Istanbul this week. Nonetheless, I think Ettore Messina's men will find themselves winning both and putting themselves in position to make a late charge towards – at the very least – the Play-In Showdown. The return this week of [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/), the 2021-22 EuroLeague MVP, is a big boost for a team that has had injury issues throughout the season. Mirotic has featured in just 11 games in his first year at Milan, but I think he will remind the EuroLeague of his quality with a couple of standout displays in Rounds 24 and 25. On top of that, [Shavon Shields](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shavon-shields/007831/) is playing at an All-EuroLeague level right now and the Italian side suddenly has a ton of options at the guard positions, with [Shabazz Napier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shabazz-napier/011224/), [Devon Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/devon-hall/011205/), [Rodney McGruder](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rodney-mcgruder/012800/), [Diego Flaccadori](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/diego-flaccadori/005670/), [Giordano Bortolani](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/giordano-bortolani/006701/) and another returnee from injury, [Maodo Lo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/maodo-lo/007032/), all jostling for minutes. The picture suddenly looks a lot brighter if you are a Milan fan.

The best plays of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan forward Nikola Mirotic through the first 11 rounds of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, before he suffered an injury.

Mirotic's top plays pre-injury

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-01-31T19:15:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2024-01-31T18:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-01-31T18:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-01-31T19:30:00.000Z)

Two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague passing aces – Luke Sikma and Thomas Walkup of Olympiacos Piraeus – stopped by to tell us a bit more about the art of passing, its fundamentals and its possibilities.

When asked about the three things that make up a good pass, each of them had different answers, however.

"For me? It's the why, who and where," Walkup says. Sikma sees it a little bit differently. "Timing, space and tempo."

Usually, the flashiest part of the game is when the ball goes through the hoop in a myriad of ways, but passing is a crucial part of the game that should never be overlooked. Sikma and Walkup can attest to that, especially during the process of learning how to become a great passer.

"I learn the most off of playing. Passing is really a feel thing," Sikma explains. "You learn best in real time, and you also learn from mistakes. Nobody likes a turnover!"

The video continues with both players teaching us their three fundamental types of passes. Walkup chooses the basic route with the bounce pass, the chest pass and then allows for a little creativity with a left-hook pass.

Sikma takes it all the way from the beginning with "his" bounce pass, the behind-the-back and – for the advanced students ¬– a trick pass off the elbow.

"Study the fundamentals, keep it simple," is Walkup's advice to the younger students of the game. "Step by step, that will lead you to success."